Doctor Who delivered another special for the franchise's 60th anniversary, and it might have been one of the series' trippiest episodes in quite some time. Fan reception to "Wild Blue Yonder" seemed positive overall, though there was one thought that quite a few people had after hearing David Tennant's Fourteenth Doctor utter a specific line. Some believed a major factual error was made and, now, showrunner Russell T. Davies is explaining himself on social media.
When it was revealed that The Doctor and Donna were at the edge of the universe, the former remarked that they've "never been out this far before." Seasoned Who fans that tuned in to see the 60th anniversary's cast and other surprises were quick to point out that's not true. With that, they declared that Russell T. Davies accidentally scripted in a factual error. Davies explained on Instagram, however, that he did not, but rather decided to drop mentions of those past exploits from the script. He also shed light on why he did that:
Okay, so I know the Doctor has been to the edge of the universe before, and further. The First Doctor went to Quinnis 'in the fourth universe.' The Fourth Doctor went to the Planet of Evil! And the 13th was on board Tecteun’s ship in-between universes. So, this is the scene with the Doctor & Donna looking out at the nothingness, Draft 3, 17.04.22, where I acknowledged that. And then I cut it, because 😴 But still, the Doctor was thinking it! True fact!
The returning Doctor Who showrunner apparently wanted everyone to know that he was aware of the show's past and acknowledged that both the First, Fourth, and Thirteenth Doctors had traveled to the location before. So, no, it's not an error or retcon as, apparently, the Doctor was just keeping his sentiments brief.
Personally, I think that the moment, as it currently stands, isn't an error. It's possible that the Doctor hasn't been "out that far" even though the characters have been on the edge of the universe. Granted, I'm not sure how far someone can travel into the edge of nothingness, but it's probably just my 21st-century human brain limiting my understanding of it all like the Doctor told Donna.
For those curious about how that moment was handled in the original draft of the script, Russell T. Davies shared the details in a photo alongside his explanation. Take a look at the script, which directly references Jodie Whittaker's Doctor:
As you can see, Jodie Whittaker's iteration of the protagonist received a bigger mention in "Wild Blue Yonder," which is available to stream now with a Disney+ subscription. When The Doctor was speaking to the imposter Donna in the special, the two had a deep conversation about the events of Flux and the Timeless Child reveal. It represented a moment of deep vulnerability for the main character as well as evidence that Chris Chibnall's run on Doctor Who is here to stay. Of course, I already had that theory, given the latest reveal about new companion Ruby Sunday that's set to drop in the Christmas special.
I personally feel that outside of the horribly shot intro in "The Star Beast," Russell T. Davies has done a great job on the first two Who specials. Now, there's only one left to go, and it's going to bring in the biggest non-Who American star attached to these productions, Neil Patrick Harris. Will the specials go three for three, and will we get the perfect set-up for Ncuti Gatwa's first full episode as the eponymous character? We'll find out soon enough. And as time goes on, I'm sure fans will be keeping an eye out for anything else they feel is a canonical issue.
Watch Doctor Who's 60th-anniversary specials on Disney+ as part of the 2023 TV schedule, and tune in for the final chapter on Saturday, December 9th. I'm so pumped for the final special, especially now that we know that the ending just marks the beginning of this brave new era of the beloved sci-fi franchise.
